Starting in first grade with reading logs, I spent most of my childhood thinking that reading was both a bore and a chore. Thankfully, my parents encouraged my siblings and I to read before bed, and throughout high school, reading became more engaging because it helped me sleep better when I struggled with insomnia and mental health challenges. It wasn’t until the pandemic, though, that I started to view reading as a leisure activity, and something that I authentically enjoyed. Amongst other forms of storytelling like podcasts, TV shows, documentaries, and fictional movies, I have found reading to be a constant de-stressor and source of grounding my routine.
College is busy and it is really difficult to carve out time to read, and I often find myself carving out the time, then just wanting to slump on the couch with my housemates. But this quarter, I set a goal to read two books of my choice for leisure. I’m not a terribly fast reader, nor a noticeably slow one, so this goal seemed appropriate for me and my time management. I knew I couldn’t ask myself to read every night, nor did I want to set a goal for each month because my workload changes so much throughout each quarter. This quarterly goal has been working for me thus far, and has reaffirmed my beliefs as to why reading is a beneficial part of my routine. I am currently reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, which I am loving because it is brutally honest, insightful and humorous. With that said, I wanted to share my four main reasons for why I, and science, believe it is important to keep reading a part of your routine.
1. Reading Reduces Stress
I have always found comfort in getting lost in a new, exciting, or even boring, story that is always there to jump back into after a long, stressful day. A 2009 study from the University of Sussex assessed how different leisure activities reduced stress by measuring the heart rate and muscle tension of participants. The study found that reading a book or a newspaper for only six minutes lowered participants’ stress levels by 68%. This was shown to be a more effective activity for lowering stress levels than listening to music or going for a walk. The researchers concluded that this is because reading invites your mind to immerse itself into a literary world that is separate from the stressors of everyday life.
2. Reading Trains Your Empathy Muscle
Regardless of the literary genre, reading has the ability to train the “empathy muscle” in your mind, by being invested in the story of a character on some type of quest. I love to read fictional stories and consider the protagonist a friend, and give them advice in my mind along the way while I read their story. This is no myth, according to David Kidd, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, “If we engage with characters who are nuanced, unpredictable, and difficult to understand, then I think we’re more likely to approach people in the real world with an interest and humility necessary for dealing with complex individuals.” (Fagan) Furthermore, these characters are just as complex as real-life people, and reading their stories often helps nurture our ability to empathize with the complexities of humanity.
3. Reading Broadens Your Worldly Perspective
Some of my favorite reads of all time are non-fiction books. This past summer I tackled Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and despite my dad telling me it was a heavy, long read, I was able to get through the whole book on a one-week beach vacation. This book opened my eyes to the scientific research and mystery around human evolution and human history. It ignited my curiosity about world history, and the facets of human history and human nature that are often overlooked. Undoubtedly, this book and many others encouraged me to think more critically about the world around me, allowing me to gain many new perspectives on history.
4. Reading Inspires Creativity
Whether it is a short poem or long novel, reading has the ability to provoke curiosity and inspiration that otherwise would remain untouched in your mind. Reading helps us practice creativity by letting words describe a specific image or picture in your own mind. The more you read, the more your mind can practice imagining different stories and ideas, and this will lead to a more creative, inspirational lifestyle.
A part of me wishes I could go back to the girl who lied about every reading log in third grade and tell her to “read the damn book!” because maybe I would be more empathetic, creative, open-minded, and stress-free. But I don’t think that’s the point. Actually, I know it’s not. It’s not abnormal to have a rocky relationship with reading, but as I’ve matured and practiced reading in my routine, I’ve dramatically noticed these qualities improve in my personal life and I encourage all my fellow half-ass readers to do the same!